New OPDA partnership brings AI and smart data to the surveying front line

Novello Chartered Surveyors has become the newest member of the Open Property Data Association (OPDA).

Founded in 2019 by James Brook and Jack Pye, Novello now delivers over £10 million worth of surveys to home buyers every year.

Novello's surveying services are delivered through a bespoke online referral platform that connects agents and brokers straight through to its surveying teams.

That firm has invested significantly in new technology and smart data to transform the survey process. Its surveyors already use drone-assisted inspections and digital data capture on site, and the group is soon to launch a new AI-powered platform that will turn static survey PDFs into interactive, easy-to-understand reports.

The Data Use and Access Act requires property data to be digitised at source by 2029, and condition information will form part of material information at the point of listing.

Novello's next step is a full upfront platform for estate agents and sellers, bringing the condition survey and Scout data together with title information, seller forms, and early-stage searches so that offers are made on fully informed properties and fewer sales fall through.

Since its launch, OPDA has developed open property data standards and models designed to create trusted, reusable and shareable property information. These standards have been created collaboratively across the industry to help reduce friction, improve transparency and support a more efficient transaction process.

James Brook, CEO of Novello, said: "Surveying has spent thirty years producing paper reports that arrive too late in the transaction to change anything. The Data Use and Access Act changes the rules. Condition data will have to be captured digitally at source and shared through trusted frameworks, and that is exactly the platform we are building. A surveyor will be able to walk the property with a camera and a microphone, and the platform does the rest.

"Joining OPDA puts us in the room where the standards are being set. We believe condition reports produced by qualified surveyors and delivered as open data at the start of a transaction are the missing piece in upfront information. We want to help define what that looks like and then deliver it at scale. What we bring to the association is the front line: 40 plus surveyors inspecting homes every day, a live platform turning those inspections into structured data, and direct relationships with the agents, brokers and consumers the standards are meant to serve."

Maria Harris, chair of the OPDA, commented: “We're delighted to welcome Novello Chartered Surveyors to OPDA. Novello brings something different to our membership – a surveying business that works directly with agents and consumers every day, and one that is already using smart data and AI to add real value to the survey process. That first-hand experience of the transaction will be hugely valuable as we continue to build open, trusted standards for the industry.”